Aaryan Temple / Swamy Ayyappa!

Ayyappa Swamy is having many names, some of them are Aaryan, DharmaSastha, HariHaraSuthan, BhuthaNadan.

A pilgrim's journey to SabariMalai (means Sabari Mountain in Malayalam) for Swamy Ayyappa Darshanam. My First Journey to SabariMalai! As a civil Swamy.

Birth Story:

As you all know this story very well, I am writing very little.

Ayyappa Swamy born to Shiva and Mohini (Feminine form of Maha Vishnu) to kill Mahishi, a lady demon who is wife of Mahishasura, who killed by Goddess “Kanaka Durga” in the form of “MahishasuraMardhini.” And given by a sage to Pandalam Raja who is childless.

There he grown up till 10 years and later he moved to a place where now temple resides in SabariMalai for us to save us from kali(a demon king to rule earth as kali yuga).

JOURNEY:

On 08-Dec-2012 at 4pm we (A group of Swamis and normal people n kids, totally=54) started from Vijayawada a main city in Andhra Pradesh. One night is traveling time.

We got the train at 5pm and we reached a place of village Chenghanur at 3 pm which is 100kms near to Pambha River place. A 2-3 hours bus journey is taken from Chenghanur to Pambha River. We reached Pambha in between 5-6pm.  We had done the bathing, puja and prayer to Ayyappa there under a tree. And we started to reach the Temple on the SabariMalai which is 7-8 kms from Pambha at 6pm.

Then we got verification of our Online Booked Tickets and ID cards by security check post at Pambha by Kerala Police Department in a queue. From there we started by walk till temple place reached. It’s our wish to walk; walking is good for healthy people and swamis in mala. If you are unable to walk then there Dollies are available at a cost of 1000 INR (in 2012). Once you paid for dollie ticket, then 4 people will come to carry you on dolie from bottom of the hill to top and the back journey too.

I am walking with 5 others (1 kid) as I know very few of them in our big group. We walk nearly 2n1/2 hours to reach top along visiting the small temples on the way. Here I need to mention some important temples to visit by everybody before ayyappa dharshanam.

Ganesh Temple at starting of Steps, Maalika Puramma Temple, Hanuman Temple, Vavilara Swamy Temple, Pandala Raja Vamsiyula Temple.

These are the temples everyone needs to visit before going to Ayyappa Temple.

Each temple, above mentioned are not ordinary temples, each temple had one story which is given as a boon by Sri Ayyappa Swamy to visit before him.

After visiting these above temples on the way we reached Main Temple i.e., Ayyappa Swamy Temple.

About Aayyappa Swamy Idol:

At the time of ayyappa leaving the kingdom and palace of Pandalam, he was asked by his father and king where you are staying in the forest, the ayyappa replied that where my arrow will struck at that place you need to construct a Temple. He then release the arrow from his bow, ayyappa disappears there and left to forest place where arrow stopped.

And then he incarnated as an Idol of his own there on above of 18 holy steps. Those steps are not ordinary steps. Those are sakthis of ayyappa in the form of goddess and gods. That’s why normal people are not allowed to get over those steps. Only Ayyappa swamis are allowed to make a walk on those steps.

The original Idol of Ayyappa swamy is made of may be with a Granite stone or with a great wood, I don’t know exactly, but the temple was got fire during 19^th century and that old idol got some issues, that is why new idol was placed in the place of old one.

The ayyappa swamy idol in the temple is made as a mix of 5 alloys metals called as Pancha Loha Vigrahamu. But when look at idol, it looks like glow of gold due to his greatness and also may be due to abhisekham of ghee and sacred oils daily.

About Aayyappa Swamy Temple Steps & Pujas in the Temple:

The holy steps of ayyappa are totally 18 steps we need to climb those steps as swamis only not normal people, when I check the data on internet or books for steps, I got the info as these steps are

1)      Indrias etc…

But the god given names for the 18 holy steps as per Tantrism

Here are there:

1)      Chandika

2)      Kasi-Annapurna

3)      BhadraKallika

4)      KareemKali

5)      Bhairavi

6)      Subramnaya Swamy

7)      Gandarva

8)      Karthaveeryam

9)      Krishnabayai

10)   Katu Shabdam

11)   Hidumbha

12)   Bethala

13)   Adi Sheshudu

14)   KarnaPisachi

15)   Pulindhini

16)   Renuka- Mother of Parasurama

17)   Swapna Varahi

18)   Pratyamgira

Why Black Color Mala Only:

In my train journey I observed many swamis (Dheeksha Taken People) wearing various colors of Mala dresses and coming to SabariMalai. But all swamis (Dheeksha Taken People) compulsorily need to wear only Black Color Dress as Mala dress. This is because Sri Ayyappa Swamy when is ready to incarnate on SabariMalai gave order (sasanam) to Shani Deva as Below.

Ayyappa: Why are you harassing people in your 7n1/2 years of graha dasa.

Shani: Ayyappa Swamy, as per the orders of Brahma Deva, I am doing my duty.

Ayyappa: But you need to leave people who worshipped me as Mala.

Shani: Swamy you know that I need to follow the rules of Brahma Deva, if I break these rules he will punish me. But for your favor I will do this on some conditions as below.

Rules:

1)      No non-veg, no alcohol and no-prohibited food.

2)      Sleep on earth with your mala, no sex, maximum avoid home and stay with guru swamy in temple is best.

3)      No brushing, no-oil, no-hair n nail cutting, no-facials, no-creams,

4)      Early morning bath even on cold season also, and evening bath too.

5)      No other clothes except your mala.

Shani: “If any person falls under my rule shani dasa then he faces many odds and he can’t bear that and I will drag him till death some times too. That person need to face this type of scenarios till my dasa of 7n1/2 years completed.”

Sri Ayyappa Swamy:  As you said above, I am saying that “All my swamis are aware of all these rules and need to follow strictly those till my mala for mandalam days (40 days). Coming to normal person under shani dasa will face odds till 7n1/2 years, the same odds will faced by my swamis in those 40 days of my Mala called as “Sri Ayyappa Swamy Mala”. “

“And two more conditions for you, you never kill my swamis. And you never makes again this odds once if any person take my mala in his hole life and done perfectly till mandalam days. And all swamis will wear Black color clothes only for shani favor.”

Note : If any mistakes you found in this blog, please send to my email. I will rectify those mistakes in the next update. If any mistakes are there in the blog those are all mine. Thanks for reading my blog!!!!

Yours Balu